The Stream, June 15: The Cost of Nuclear Phase-Out

A survey by the Asahi newspaper shows that nearly three-quarters of Japanese voters are in favor of a gradual nuclear phase-out in the country, while about 50 percent agree that reactors now off-line for inspections should be restarted if they meet government safety standards, Reuters reports.

Meanwhile, this SolveClimate News article says that decommissioning a nuclear power plant could cost more than $1 billion, take decades and create new stockpiles of radioactive waste in need of disposal.

And what would it take to dismantle China’s Three Gorges Dam, the biggest hydroelectric scheme in the world? Four experts discuss the recent Chinese government admission that there are “urgent problems” with the project.

A toxic chemical spilled into a river in eastern China has affected the water supplies of more than 1 million people and created a run on bottled water, Reuters reports.

Rising food and fuel prices could exacerbate the effects of a prolonged drought in East Africa that is already straining the food supplies of millions of people in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda, the Food and Agriculture Organization warned, according to Voice of America.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.